Summary—Chapter 7: Tick-Running and a Heartbreak
The teacher now places Tom next to Joe Harper. After trying
to study for a while, Tom gives up and he and Joe play with the
tick, each attempting to keep the bug on his side of the desk by
harassing it with a pin. They begin arguing midway through the game,
and the teacher again appears behind Tom, this time to deliver a
tremendous whack to both boys.
During lunch, Tom and Becky sit in the empty schoolroom together,
and Tom persuades her to “get engaged” to him—an agreement they
render solemn by saying “I love you” and kissing. Tom begins talking
excitedly about how much he enjoys being engaged and accidentally
reveals that he was previously engaged to Amy Lawrence. Becky begins
to cry and says that Tom must still love Amy. Tom denies it, swearing
that he loves only Becky, but she cries harder and refuses to accept
the brass andiron knob he offers her as a token of his affection.
When Tom marches out, Becky realizes that he won’t return that day
and becomes even more upset.
Summary—Chapter 8: A Pirate Bold to Be
For the rest of the afternoon, Tom wanders about in a
forest, first deciding that he will become a pirate, next trying
a futile charm to locate his lost marbles, and finally encountering
Joe Harper. The boys play Robin Hood and then go home, in agreement
that “they would rather be outlaws a year in Sherwood Forest than
President of the United States forever.”
Summary—Chapter 9: Tragedy in the Graveyard
That night, Tom sneaks out of bed and goes to the graveyard
with Huck. They hide in a clump of elms a few feet from the fresh
grave of Hoss Williams and wait for devils to appear. After a while,
three figures approach the grave. The boys believe with horrified
delight that these are the devils, but they turn out to be three
adults from the town carrying out a midnight mission of their own.
Tom and Huck are surprised to discover the young Dr. Robinson accompanied
by two local outcasts, the drunken Muff Potter and Injun Joe.
Dr. Robinson orders the other two men to dig up Hoss
Williams’s corpse, presumably for use in medical experiments. After
they finish the job, Potter demands extra payment, and Robinson
refuses. Injun Joe then reminds Robinson of an incident that happened
five years earlier, when Injun Joe came begging at the Robinsons’
kitchen door and was turned away. Injun Joe now intends to have
his revenge. A fight ensues; Dr. Robinson knocks Injun Joe down
and then is attacked by Potter. He uses Hoss Williams’s headstone
to defend himself, knocking Potter unconscious. In the scuffle,
Injun Joe stabs Dr. Robinson with Potter’s knife.
The terrified boys flee without being detected by the
men. Eventually, Potter awakens and asks Injun Joe what happened.
Injun Joe tells the drunk Potter that Potter murdered Dr. Robinson
in a drunken fury, and Potter, still dazed, believes him. Injun
Joe promises not to tell anyone about the crime, and they part ways.
Before Injun Joe leaves the graveyard, however, he notes smugly
that Potter’s knife remains stuck in the corpse.
